About

Fran Kelly FdA BA MA

Prop Making

Fran gained a Technical Theatre and Stage Management foundation degree at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art before continuing to complete a BA in Prop Making. She has extensive knowledge and experience of materials including silicone, resin, polystyrene and wood. For examples of her work please visit the portfolio page.

Fran has worked in many roles over her career including Stage Management, Prop Making, Art Direction and Location management. She has primarily worked in theatre but has also worked on small and medium budget films and live events such as the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic opening and closing ceremonies. In addition, Fran has fine art, production art and performing arts teaching experience and has taught a wide age range ranges from 3-65.

Fran is currently based in South Wales with four fully equipped workshop spaces. Facilities include;

Wood workshop

Mould making and paint workshop

Sewing and Upholstery room

Large bed lasercutter

CNC router

Migraine

Fran has completed with distinction a Master’s degree in Art, Health and Wellbeing. Fran calls on her subjective experience and through research, the experience of other Migraine sufferers to create artistic responses to Migraine.

Using a wide range of techniques such as sculpture, sound design and set building, she creates pieces including immersive artworks to facilitate kinaesthetic learning of Migraine. In her piece ‘Maison Migraine’ Fran enabled visitors to ‘step into’ a migraine experience allowing them to have their own subjective experience of migraine.

Fran turns the spectator into the participator.

She has a particular interest in increasing empathy and understanding migraine with health practitioners.

“No amount of empathy can dissolve the barrier between observation and experience”